Food Truck Safety

You must follow proper food safety protocol when you own a food or beverage truck. Food trucks can be stigmatized as unsanitary or even potentially unsafe. However, as they have gained more popularity, food truck safety guidelines have tightened. Review some of our tips for food truck safety with our team at William Lehman Van, Truck, and Bus Sales, then visit us at Hollywood.

Properly Train Employees

Your employees should be thoroughly trained in handling food and operating equipment inside a food truck. In some states, food service employees must acquire a permit and pass a food handler’s course. These courses explore food handling, storage, sanitation, and preventing food-borne illness. Review the FDA-approved handbook and ensure your employees understand the rules inside and out. 

Prepare for Emergencies

Accidents can happen on a good truck, so being prepared for every possible outcome is crucial. Some common issues are burns, power outages, robberies, car accidents, etc. Keeping a first aid kit and a fire extinguisher on deck is essential for physical injuries such as burns. One thing that will help your Ft Lauderdale food truck go smoothly is keeping a binder of emergency safety protocols in a secure place within the truck.

Sick Employees Need to Stay at Home

If an employee shows up sick or gets sick at work, it is imperative to send them home. Sick workers can contaminate the food or the work equipment, exacerbating foodborne illness and potentially creating lawsuit opportunities. If the health department finds out sick employees were handling and distributing food, you can face significant fines and/or a shutdown.

Perform Food Truck Safety Inspections

Schedule regular times to inspect your truck with a thorough health and safety checklist. A few fook truck safety precedents to set are: 

• The ventilation system is clean and up-to-date. 
• Check the refrigerator and freezer temperatures to make sure that the food will be kept sanitary.
• Make sure the labels and bins are labeled correctly.
• Make sure containers are separated and that there is no cross-contamination between foods (potential allergens, raw, and cooked foods).
• Make sure that cleaning products are stored away from the food products.
• Make sure that your employees are aware of the sanitation procedures, including proper hand washing, cleaning, food preparation, and serving techniques.

One way to keep employees on their toes and ensure food truck safety protocols are being followed is to conduct surprise inspections. 

Visit us at William Lehman Van, Truck, and Bus Sales for Your Truck Financing Needs

Food truck safety is a relatively new practice in the context of the industry’s exponential growth, so be sure to review the NFPA standards for a more thorough understanding. In the meantime, if you are interested in a premier used commercial vehicle dealer near Orlando or Palm Beach, visit us at William Lehman Van, Truck, and Bus Sales. We have a comprehensive inventory of used commercial vehicles to kickstart your business, so contact us to learn more.